Stormy Weather
by skiergal
Summary: A chance meeting brings back memories long forgotten. Post-Paris, pre-show. Jibbs!
1. Auld Lang Syne

_a/n: This plot is shamelessly ripped off from _Same Auld Lang Syne _by Dan Fogelberg. _

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The florescent lights of the grocery store glared brilliantly overhead, and she squinted as she walked in. For the most part, the store was deserted – and that was fine with Jennifer Shepard. She didn't need another reminder of the sad state of affairs she called her life. And truth be told, seeing women with their doting (if slightly exasperated) lovers carrying shopping bags always caused a pang in her heart that never quite went away.

Sighing, she rubbed her left ring finger, the absence of her metal band quite noticeable, and she steeled her mind to the prospect of Christmas Eve - and therefore Christmas – alone.

As she made her way up and down the aisles, she happened to catch a glimpse of the beginnings of a snow storm through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

_Great_, she thought to herself. _Now it's really beginning to look a whole-freaking-lot like Christmas._

So distracted was she as she perused the frozen entrees, that she nearly knocked over the silver-haired man who was eyeing the same frozen dinner that she was.

"Oh! Excuse me ss……..Jethro?" Jenny managed to choke out, her eyes bulging as she looked into familiar blue eyes.

"Jen." Leroy Jethro Gibbs stated, turning to completely face her.

"I…Well…Wow…Ahh…" she stumbled, trying to find the right words.

A brilliant smile broke out on her face, and her green eyes shone with delight as she moved to hug him.

She'd forgotten about her open purse, though, and when she lowered her arm to wrap it around him, its contents were up-ended onto the shiny linoleum of Aisle 7.

She sealed her eyes as a wave of embarrassment passed over her – only to re-open them and find his eyes shining with laughter. Whether from embarrassment, giddiness or the situation, a small giggle escaped her lips, and suddenly they both were laughing hysterically, clutching each other's arms for support.

Only after their laughing fit did the two realize how close they had gotten, and each backed away to a more comfortable distance.

"So, Jen. How ya been?"

Glancing down briefly at her left hand, she paused as she strengthened her voice.

"I'm alright. How about you? What have you been up to since…." She trailed off, remembering the last time they had seen each other.

_"Jethro, I left my coat on the plane. Will you grab it for me? I'll hail the cab."_

_He'd agreed, as he always did these days, and set off at a jog for their plane. She watched his back as he moved, mentally etching him into her mind. She knew that she'd probably never see him again; not after he read her letter._

_Jenny turned, steeling her mind to the prospect of loosing him forever, and hailed a passing cab. She would be dammed if she let a man – her superior and partner, no less – ruin her plan. _

_As the cab pulled away from the curb, however, she felt a tear slip down her cheek. _

They stood in silence, each remembering that painful day.

_"Jethro, I left my coat on the plane. Will you grab it for me? I'll hail the cab." She'd smiled at him with that smile of hers; the mischievous, sexy smile that made everything else in the world melt away. He'd consented, and set off for the plane at a light jog, his mind already focused on getting Jenny to the hotel. They had four days of leave, and he intended to leave the room only when necessary. He took the stairs to the fuselage two at a time, and immediately saw Jenny's coat, draped over her vacated seat. He grabbed it as he turned, head down as he leapt down the stairs. As he raised his head, he saw a cab pull away from the curb, her tell-tale red hair blowing in the backseat. _

The air was significantly heavier as they both remembered why they hadn't spoken in six years.

"Jethro, I… I can't even…" The pain was evident in her voice as she struggled for words that didn't seem to be available.

"Don't, Jen. Just don't."

They both stood, Jenny awkwardly clutching her groceries as she fought the urge to glance down from his piercing gaze, Jethro reading each expression as it alit on her face.

After a minute of his scrutiny, Jenny hastily grabbed her dinner, and looked up at him.

"Well, Jethro, I really should be going. Got to, you know, make dinner and such," she said lamely.

"Sure. Didn't mean to keep you from your family."

"Oh, no, it was good to see you. I'm sure they won't even notice I'm gone," she replied, glancing down to the right.

As she started to walk away, he grabbed her wrist gently, forcing her to look at him before he spoke with a gentle, teasing tone.

"You just looked down to the right, Jenny. And unless you're Jesus, you aren't feeding a family with one Lean Cuisine."

As she stood, cursing her built-in lie-detector and his keen observance, his hand still grasped her wrist. He studied her fiery tresses, and the fine lines around her eyes that hadn't yet made their appearance the last time he'd seen her.

"The years have been good to you, Jenny," he said quietly, his eyes searching her face. The muscles in her forehead relaxed, almost imperceptibly, and he continued.

"Really. You look just like you did in Serbia. Remember Serbia? That week, crammed together in that farmhouse?"

Again her muscles relaxed, and her white teeth were revealed.

"Yeah – the bathroom with the broken hot water tap?" She began chuckling as more memories flooded back. "That farmhouse was terrible! I spent so many nights willing you to stop snoring – and that bed! It squeaked like no other." Her laughter stopped suddenly, as the implication of her words hit them both.

_They had been stuck in a farmhouse the size of her kitchen for five days, the hot water tap had sprung a leak four days ago, and Jethro's snoring sounded suspiciously like boulders crashing down a mountain – and on top of that, their guide had yet to show. Jenny's frustration was up to her eyeballs and they were both walking on pins and needles. _

_"Jenny!" Gibbs yelled. "Where the hell did you put the strainer?" _

_"JETHRO. THERE ARE THREE CABINETS IN THIS GOD-FORSAKEN CABIN. FIND THE DAMN STRAINER YOURSELF!"_

_Each was looking for an opportunity to pick on the other, and Gibbs stormed into their shared bedroom with bags under his eyes and a temper as volatile as hydrochloric acid._

_"I will not tolerate your insolence, probie," he snarled._

_"Probie! Probie?1? The hell you just called me 'probie,'" she screamed back. "My name is Jenny, _Leroy, _and you damn well better call me that!"_

_He advanced towards her, anger mixed with his barely controlled desire pushing him forwards. He grabbed her shoulders and stuck his face in hers, inhaling as he prepared to lay into her. He never had the chance, though, because one second he was screaming at her, and the next he was on his back, her hands in his hair, her mouth on his. They both fought viciously for control, flipping back and forth, kissing and nipping and biting at each other as they quickly discarded their clothes. The screws on the bed jiggled, squeaking with each pulse of their bodies. Jenny panted underneath him, matching him move for move, until suddenly she could no longer. They crested together, each high on deadly cocktail of rage and lust. As they lay together, Gibbs leaned towards Jenny's ear. _

_"Probie."_

"Valued customers, we are closing in ten minutes. Please make your way forward to purchase all items. Enjoy your holiday season, and we hope to see you when we re-open December 26th."

The voice on the intercom ended their reminiscence, and Jenny noted the warmth spreading from the touch of his fingers on her skin all the way to her core.

She gently removed her wrist from his iron grasp, and backed away.

"It was good to see you, Jethro. Really. Now, I really have to go."

"You too, Jen. Glad to see that you haven't fallen off the face of the earth – and that you've replaced your coat."

She blushed, the not-so-subtle jab hitting her square in the chest. Nodding at him, she spun on her heel, striding quickly towards the check-out lane. The _tap-tap_ of her stilettos was echoed, step for step, however, by the _clunk-clunk_ of his boots. She set her groceries down at the register, and drew her wallet from her bag. After swiping her card, she collected her bags and glanced back at him.

"What, Gibbs?" She asked, a hint of exasperation in her voice. She regretted her tone the minute she heard her words – but at least the annoyance was covering the desire suddenly coursing through her veins.

"Let's go have a drink – shall we?"

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_Oooohhh… what happens next? Stay tuned…_


	2. Remembering Marseilles

_a/n: Alright, folks. I've decided that this is going to be approximately 2003. After google-ing J&J's relationship, I think that they must have worked undercover ops in Serbia, London, Positano (Italy), and Paris from 1997-1999, when she left him. Sound right? So that puts this story about 4 years later. _______________________________________________________________________________

Jenny looked at him, her piercing green eyes meeting his cerulean blues.

"A drink?" she asked incredulously. "It's Christmas Eve, Jethro. Where do you think we're going to be able to get a drink?"

He smirked at her, the trade mark half-a-mouth smirk she had missed so.

"C'mon Jen. I know that you haven't lost your adventurous side. If I remember correctly," he paused here, dragging his eyes up and down her body, "you used to like challenges."

She rolled her eyes, feeling yet another blush creep up her blouse onto her neck.

"Well then; I can't very well start turning down challenges now, can I?"

At his knowing grin, she couldn't help but smile back shyly.

"I have one condition, Jethro."

"What, Jen? That we go someplace you can get a fruity drink?"

At that question, she glanced up at him sharply. She had forgotten how well they could read each other; how in-tune they once had been with the other's wants and needs.

He seemed to be cognizant of the same phenomena, and he shook his head.

"It hasn't gone away."

They stood there, locked in their memories, until Jenny suddenly broke eye contact.

"Let's go. It's getting late, and if we want to have this drink of yours, then we'd better get going, partner."

He chuckled as Jenny began moving with purposeful strides towards the door, watching as she noticeably slowed at the door. He caught her as the automatic doors swung open.

"I see you still walk to fast for those doors."

She sent him a faux-withering glance, tossed her longer-than-shoulder-length hair, and kept walking at her pace. Jethro followed her, just far enough to enjoy the full effect of the back side of Jenny Shepard - a sight he had certainly missed. So lost in the sightseeing was he, that he failed to notice the black car she sidled up beside, until the flash of lights signaling the opening of the car drew his attention.

"Jesus, Jen! Where'd you get this thing from?"

Once again, he was the recipient of Jenny's contemptuous gaze.

"It was a present, Jethro," she stated, leaving it there, hoping that he would pick up on her unwillingness to discuss the car's origin.

Sensing her hope to avoid a deeper story, he pushed her.

"A present? From whom? Somebody rich, because that car has got to be a good, what hundred and fifty thou..."

She grabbed his chin with her left hand as she cut him off.

"It was a present, Jethro. End of discussion."

Her eyes glowed a deep emerald, lit with the emotions that Jethro was evoking in her - and they weren't all good ones.

Her mind ran rampant with memories of holding him in this way, tenderly; of Chris, the millionaire architect she'd married and subsequently divorced; of the car she'd gotten in the divorce settlement; of the nights spent on the tiny bed in Marseilles, wrapped around Jethro's sleeping form...

Her hold on his jaw softened.

"Sorry," she said shortly, releasing his chin, and leaning against the passenger door of her Aston Martin Vanquish, her head drooping slightly as once again the reality of her life hit her with a vengeance.

This time it was Jethro grabbing Jenny's chin, tilting it up so that their gazes were locked.

"Never say you're sorry, Jenny. Ever. It's a..."

"Sign of weakness," she finished, a small smile gracing her lips. "Rule number four, right Special Agent Gibbs? Or is number four the one about secrets?"

He smiled down at her, running his thumb across her lips.

"Hell if I know."

At this, a legitimate smile broke out on Jenny's face, and without thinking, she pressed a kiss against the thumb gently moving across her lips.

Jethro's eyes darkened a shade at this unconscious act, but Jenny didn't notice as she stepped away from him and dug into her purse.

When she found what she was looking for, she glanced up at Jethro sideways, biting her bottom lip, eyes narrowed in anticipation.

"Hey Gibbs - you ever driven a Martin?"

"Jen, what do you think I learned to drive on?" he replied. "Martin's and I - we go way back. I could drive this thing with my eyes closed.

Jen smiled and raised her perfectly shaped eyebrow as she dangled the key ring from a perfectly manicured nail.

"Leroy. Jethro. Gibbs. If you hurt my car," she leaned into him, and the next words came as a whisper, "I will make you _squeal like a girl._"

"I don't know, Jen. It seems to me, I used to make **you** scream like a girl."

_The trawler docked below their attic provided the only light as Jethro pushed Jenny down onto their small cot. He dragged his lips across hers, pinning her hands to the mattress as her legs encircled his, and her heels latched onto the back of his. She tugged his bottom lip into her mouth, sucking on it as she felt his lower body connect with hers. Her mouth opened in a gasp, and Jethro quickly covered her lips with his, tasting the remnants of her merlot. He ground himself into her, feeling her thrust against him, thrashing on the bed below him. _

_Slowly he stopped kissing her, and as she began to protest, he sat up and yanked his shirt off, revealing his toned upper body. Jenny slowly traced his abdominals, her slender fingers darting lower and lower on his stomach. His muscles clenched as her fingers continued their tortuous journey lower, until they reached the button of his shorts. Stopping her, he slipped his shorts down his legs, quickly divesting himself of all his clothing._

_Then, slowly, button by button, he opened Jenny's shirt, revealing her tanned skin. He leant down and placed a kiss at the juncture of her neck and shoulders, kissing down her chest until her reached her pants. He popped the button, and she raised her hips off the bed momentarily, allowing him to slip her Levi's off. _

_She pulled him down against her, shivering at the intensity of their skin touching from head to foot. She once again entangled her legs with his, and wrapped her arms around his torso, relishing in the sinews of his muscle. He kissed her neck, pausing at the juncture of her jaw bone and neck, as she rubbed her foot along his calf. _

_When she could stand no more, when the spring in her center felt as though it would surely burst any second, she urged him on, raising her hips to meet his._

_He too felt urgent need to be inside of her, to surround her, and he thrust upwards in one fluid motion._

_They both gasped at the contact, at the sensation of being so intimately joined after so much longing. Jenny entangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, and Jethro attacked her lips with a vigor. Before long, Jethro felt the change in Jenny's movement; the urgency in her movement. As he felt her begin to crest, he clamped a hand over her mouth as the tension within her screamed out of her. _

If the heat in Jenny's stomach hadn't already been bad enough, it was now two-fold. She looked up at Jethro, extended the car keys, and slid into the passenger seat. Jethro sauntered to the driver's side, and glanced at Jenny as he revved the ignition.

Jenny steadfastly ignored his self-satisfied grin as he smoothly pulled the Aston Martin out of the parking lot and onto K Street, not looking at him for several blocks.

As she gazed out the window, however, she noticed something.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"If you're seeing lots of closed bars, then yeah, I'm seeing what you're seeing."

"So, Marine, what's Plan B since all of the bars are closed? You've coerced me into getting a drink with you, and I'm warning you now, I'd better get one."

He didn't respond, letting Jenny's words hang in the air between them. She rolled her eyes, and leaned back into the car seat.

Her day had not been planned this way.

She'd woken up in a funk, because it was Christmas Eve - the night before her favorite holiday - and she would be, once again, spending it alone. She supposed it wasn't as bad the second time around, though the year before she'd spent Christmas sorting through the divorce papers. Divorce papers. She snorted at the thought, realizing too late that Jethro had probably heard it.

She still wasn't sure what had become of her five-point plan. She'd been hell-bent on becoming her own woman, and proving the chauvinists of the world that women were equal, if not superior, to men. In that state of mind, she'd left behind the man that she loved.

It was true, she sighed to herself. She had long ago given up all pretense of not loving Jethro and his charmingly chivalrous, if slightly chauvinistic manners.

"Hey Jen," he said, breaking her reverie. "I'm going to run in and get us a bottle of bourbon. Be back in a sec."

She noticed as he dashed through the snow that they had arrived at a Liquor store.

Her thoughts remained on Jethro as she watched him quickly purchase the liquor. He looked older, more distinguished. There was a sadness, however, the pervaded his essence - something that hadn't presented itself in the 18 months they'd spent memorizing the each other.

He returned moments later, and brushed the snow as best he could from his jacket before once again slipping down into the driver's seat.

From inside the paper bag he produced two plastic cups, and poured a generous helping into each.

"To innocence," he said, gazing over at her. They tapped their cups, and downed the amber liquid.

He refilled the cups, and looked deep into her eyes as he passed hers back. She wanted to avert her eyes, but they were inextricably bound to his. She felt the heat of the moment down to her toes, and she raised her cup once more.

"To now."

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End file.
